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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs (optional) skated at Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

Who will play with John Tavares? 

"Find out tonight," is all head coach Sheldon Keefe would say ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Kings in Los Angeles. 

At Wednesday’s practice, Ilya Mikheyev skated with Tavares and William Nylander, but the Russian rookie is still weeks away from returning from injury. While the Auston Matthews line produced both Leafs goals on Tuesday night, the Tavares line was outscored 2-0. 

"Just like our team, we didn't have great legs or great energy to get on top of the puck so that line was just second to the puck a lot," Keefe said. "As a result, just didn't have it, have the puck and when you don't have it you can't get anything going offensively and then you’re running around in your own zone and you can't get anything going."

Nothing seemed to be working for that group, which included Alex Kerfoot on right wing.

"We want to have the puck more," Tavares said, "and, obviously, find ways to generate more opportunities, more shots on net, getting to the middle of the ice and we want to do a better job defending as well. Really, the whole process of our game, you want it all to feed each other, it all kind of supports one another so we have to do a better job consistently in all three zones."

With Andreas Johnsson out for the season and Mikheyev still on the shelf, Toronto's offensive depth has taken a big hit leading Keefe to tinker. Kerfoot has bounced between the third-line centre spot and the Tavares line. At yesterday's practice he was back in the middle. 

Keefe admitted he has even considered breaking up the Matthews line, which has been dominant with Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman on the wings. In fact, the coach wouldn't commit to keeping Matthews and Marner together tonight. 

"With the loss of Mikheyev and Johnsson we've had some holes there throughout our forward line-up and we're looking a little bit more all throughout," Keefe said. 

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Los Angeles may sit 30th in the NHL standings, but Keefe is warning his group to not take anything for granted tonight. 

"This team is going to work here today in L.A. and they're going to make it hard on us," Keefe said. "They’ve been playing good hockey. A young, energetic team that's playing fast and with a lot of good structure so we'll have to be good, for sure."

The Kings are 6-2-1 since Feb. 12 thanks to some fine goaltending by Jonathan Quick (3-0-1, .944 save percentage) and Cal Petersen (3-2-0, .928 save percentage). Despite watching the team sell at the deadline, the Kings are working hard for coach Todd McLellan. 

"Coming out of it on the back end we had two ways to go: We could either roll over or buckle up and compete and our team has done a real good job of that," McLellan said. "We're getting outstanding goaltending, we're getting some good special teams play, everybody's found a way to be important, which doesn't happen easily after a lot of players walk out of the locker room and you lose a lot of friends. So, we've done a good job of that. It hasn't been pretty some nights, but we hope that we can continue it on this forever homestand."

This is the first of nine straight games at home for the Kings. 

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Pierre Engvall is among Toronto's bottom-six forwards currently in a funk. He has just one goal and two assists in the last 23 games and that one goal came against emergency goalie David Ayres. 

"I don't know if hitting a wall is the right term, but he's certainly not playing at the level he was when he first arrived here," Keefe said, "and he's a guy we need to get a lot more out of. I've talked to him about that, talked to him about thinking a little bit less and just skating and using his physical attributes that he has to get on top of the puck and spend more time in the offensive zone, generate more shots and chances and being around the net. He hasn't been much of an offensive threat for us."

Engvall registered one shot while playing fewer than 10 minutes against the Sharks in San Jose on Tuesday. After starting the season in the minors, the 23-year-old has been with the big team since Nov. 19. 

"He is still a young guy that is adjusting to the league and the league does take a toll on some guys, but I think he'll find his way through it just fine," Keefe said. "It's sort of natural to let your guard down just a little bit and the league's too good for that."

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In the past, Drew Doughty has raised eyebrows by saying the Leafs need to commit more defensively to take the next step and be legitimate contenders. But the Kings defenceman believes his home province team can make some noise this spring despite an inconsistent run. 

"I mean, you just got to get in the playoffs, really," Doughty said. "I mean, when we won the Cups we just barely got in the playoffs, I think, both times. Anyone can win. You get a hot goalie like we did both times in Quickie you can steal playoff series and steal games so if they get in, they'll have a good shot."

The Kings went all the way in 2012 despite being the No. 8 seed and making a coaching change in December. When did things click under new bench boss Darryl Sutter? 

"Pretty early," Doughty recalled. "Darryl was pretty adamant on what he wanted right off the bat. We had the same coach before that for three years (Terry Murray) and it was just nice to have a new face in there and he was much different than our previous coach. He was more of a motivator and stuff like that rather than a numbers and positional guy and that's what we needed at that time. We needed a kick in the butt and he gave us it so kind of right when we got Darryl you could see things changing right away." 

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Calle Rosen stayed out late at the optional skate and is expected to be a healthy scratch tonight. 

Lines at Thursday's practice: 

Hyman - Matthews - Marner
Nylander - Tavares - Mikheyev
Cifford - Kerfoot - Kapanen
Engvall - Gauthier - Spezza / Malgin 

Dermott - Holl
Marincin - Barrie
Sandin - Liljegren
Rosen
Rielly - Ceci 

Andersen starts
Campbell